Did anyone mention all the free-range vegans we have for them to snack on?

It's been my hypothesis that any race that's smart enough for inter-solar-system travel isn't going to give a rip about what we have to say, and will treat us as pets or livestock. I'm hoping they're full by the time they finish the vegans.

Nana's Vibrator:For god's sake, just send back the same exact message we received so they'll know we're just as smart as they...were in ...1977. Asshole Tweeting scientists.Just do that music from Close Encounters; or the hockey fight scene from Strange Brew.

Coo-roo-coo-cooCoo-roo-coo-cooooo!Dum de dumDum duuuuuuuuum!

/it's my turn! turn it up to 100 this time.//if you had just come in for your scheduled maintenance, we wouldn't have to do this- but oh, no. You had to have it your way. You're so smart. You know everything.

To Whom It May Concern: I'm a field researcher for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and have been stuck on Earth for an obscenely long time. Please make a discrete pass through our neck of the galaxy so I can thumb a ride. The first round of Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters is on me.

KangTheMad:Nana's Vibrator: For god's sake, just send back the same exact message we received so they'll know we're just as smart as they...were in ...1977. Asshole Tweeting scientists.Just do that music from Close Encounters; or the hockey fight scene from Strange Brew.

tommydee:It's been my hypothesis that any race that's smart enough for inter-solar-system travel isn't going to give a rip about what we have to say, and will treat us as pets or livestock. I'm hoping they're full by the time they finish the vegans.

If we're insanely lucky enough to live at a time when a race of aliens make contact -insanely lucky enough that their message hits us,AND insanely lucky enough that our reply hits them,AND insanely lucky enough that both sides understand the messages -AND insanely lucky enough that they have faster-than-light travel,AND insanely lucky enough that they come here...it'd be weird if they made all that effort for some light snacking. That's a scientific exploration.

The more probable "they're coming for us, Barbara" scenario involves them just showing up one day and saying "Right, we rule you now. Start with the slaving." Or just kidnapping/eating a whole bunch of us.

Dr Dreidel:tommydee: It's been my hypothesis that any race that's smart enough for inter-solar-system travel isn't going to give a rip about what we have to say, and will treat us as pets or livestock. I'm hoping they're full by the time they finish the vegans.

If we're insanely lucky enough to live at a time when a race of aliens make contact -insanely lucky enough that their message hits us,AND insanely lucky enough that our reply hits them,AND insanely lucky enough that both sides understand the messages -AND insanely lucky enough that they have faster-than-light travel,AND insanely lucky enough that they come here...it'd be weird if they made all that effort for some light snacking. That's a scientific exploration.

The more probable "they're coming for us, Barbara" scenario involves them just showing up one day and saying "Right, we rule you now. Start with the slaving." Or just kidnapping/eating a whole bunch of us.

TheMysticS:KangTheMad: Nana's Vibrator: For god's sake, just send back the same exact message we received so they'll know we're just as smart as they...were in ...1977. Asshole Tweeting scientists.Just do that music from Close Encounters; or the hockey fight scene from Strange Brew.

CruJones:downstairs: CruJones: Is that actually true? Is there a legitimate reason another being wouldn't have math using a base 7? I thought we only used base 10 because we have 10 fingers. Would they still understand it?

/seriously//used to be good at math, long time ago

Any advanced species would be able to figure out the base of said math pretty easily if we sent along enough information.

I mean, humans can read hexidecimal pretty easily without a calculator or computer.

Ok, everything I see always assumes aliens would be using base 10 as well, and that's what we're looking for.

It's double funny, since the message is going to be encoded and sent in base 2....

CruJones:Ok, everything I see always assumes aliens would be using base 10 as well, and that's what we're looking for. I really couldn't remember the reasoning, I haven't used much math in 20 years-ish without a calculator/computer.

Never heard that before. I always thought base 10 was merely because we had 10 fingers. Its arbitrary.

If anything, binary makes the most sense. Because on/off, duality, dark/light... lots of stuff in nature can be boiled down to 2's.

I would think base 2 (binary) is the only universal base. I'd assume most advanced species would use this in some part of their technology.

To anticipate when alien life will arrive we must first decide on what terrestrial broadcasts from the past are more likely to offend them. So that's about 80 years worth of powered broadcasts blasted off into space. From Hitler to Beiber.

SultanofSchwing:To anticipate when alien life will arrive we must first decide on what terrestrial broadcasts from the past are more likely to offend them. So that's about 80 years worth of powered broadcasts blasted off into space. From Hitler to Beiber.